Hi Folks, After reading M.R. for a few years (or more…) I finally got the courage to build a model railroad. I have seen Dave Frary’s “Cactus Valley” when it was on tour and obtsained the 12/98-2/99 MR issues as that is what I evewntually wanted to build. Last year I got the Worlds Greatest Hobby issue and DVD. Well, I build the benchwork on the DVD with the solid plywood top with a sheet of 1inch thick styrofoam glued on top. THEN I opened up the magazine and realized that I should not have done that! I have tried to make styrofoam inclines to raise the track but it is not coming out very even. Is there a way to cut a second styrofoam sheet on a diagonal and get a nice smooth incline? I’m having an especially hard time around the curve on the right hand side of page 79 in the 12/98 issue. I started laying down roadbed from the upper left to lower right and then tried to “incline” around that curve.
Also, am having a difficult time getting the turnouts to line up properly as per the illustration. Any suggestions?
Does anyone know the radii of the curves? There are no track measurements or indications as to what size track to use where. I have flex track, 9" straights, 18" and 22" diameter curves and snap-switches (all Atlas).
Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated! (If my wife finds out I have to start all over, I’m dead meat!)
I’m using 2" foam and instead of cutting the foam at an angle, I cut a strip to the width I needed then raised it up with supports from underneth. I found cutting the foam to a uniform angle to be just about impossible. Using raisers under the foam turned out to be fairly simple.
if im not mistakin, he built that layout with all flex track ( 16 in all )
model railroad reprinted the article in full in the book " project railroads you can build" . good reading , ive found alot of good ideas that im trying to incorporate into my “dream layout”
allan
The quick and easy fix for this is to use plaster of paris over the existing ramp. First, I hope you knew to create a transition into and out of this grade? You need to create a rounded area at the bottom and the top of the ramp so that your locos don’t lose traction or derail. They need to be eased onto and off of that incline. So, to smooth out what you have, and to build nice transitions, slap on some thick hydrocal, or sculptamod, or some much cheaper plaster of paris, and smooth out the top with a spatula. Be patient, go easy, and let it dry before you muck around getting it perfect. When it is hard, check it for accuracy, mark areas that are high or low with a marker, and do what needs to be done (sand or mud). Soon, you will have a nice grade on top of which you can now add subroadbed, or just foam or cork roadbed if your height is getting to be a problem.
This brings up one of my learned lessons. Check your track often for dips and rises that escape the eye at standing level. Use a 4’ level on top of the rails, lengthwise, and get down to eye-level with the rail tops. If you see light, so will the locos. While this is merely annoying on the straights, it can be a show-stopper on a curve or at a turnout.
I use spackling instead of plaster because it is easier to sand but either will work. It is also nice if you need to superelevate a curve A thin layer tapered inward towards the inner rail works great. Since I use foam roadbed, I don’t have to worry about nails spliting the plaster. Spackling is a little forgiving here.
I would recommend either using the Woodland Scenics foam riser strips (of the proper grade %) or popping the foam off of the benchwork where needed and shiming is with some sort of riser block to get a smooth grade. I tried the “carve the incline out of the foam by cutting at an angle” method and it turned out to be a disaster. I ended up using the Woodland Scenics foam incline kits since it was easier (but not cheaper).
OK… I’m listeningand I don’t hear any fat lady singing… SO It’s not over yet.
All of the suggestions above are very solid… Pick a direction and try it. This hobby is not a science, it’s supposed to be enjoyable and relaxing… So relax and take the advise of the more advanced modelers.
I did the same thing you did. Then I realized that I needed risers for the overpass, etc. Nice thing about 1 inch foam is that it’s relatively cheap. I just added one more layer of 1 inch foam and started over. This not only covers the first misteak, but gives me some room for deeper contours and arroyo’s (Southwestern ditches).
OK… deep breath… assess the situation, salvage what you can and add another layer of foam…
I built my own version of the Cactus Valley, but changed the scenery to be more wooded than desert. The actual plans for the track and scenery are in a Kalmbach book called “Project Layouts You Can Build”. Dave gives step by step with lots of photos. But even in that there are no exact measurements for radii/curves. You pretty much have to “guesstimate”.
Dave doens’t use foam in the original layout, but wooden risers and plywood cut to shape and anchored on the risers. The biggest trick with this layout is having enough cross braces on the benchwork to attach all the risers. But once you figure that out it works like a charm.
If I recall the largest curve I could get was 22". The inside curves on my version were a 20" on the end with the tunnel, and 18" on the end without. I hope this helps.
I built this as my “learner” layout and have since dismantled it to make room for my new U-Shaped Dog-Bone…currently still very much in progress.
Hi, Thanks for theyour reply! I’ve had computer troubles the last week or so. That looks great, but I see they have different grades. Not sure which I should purchase since no measurements given in the article. I can guesstimate that it goes from o" to 1" in about 2.5-3ft. Since the foam that I have is 1" thick, my trouple is going from 0" to 1" up. But I do like those “steps”!
Greg
The quick and easy fix for this is to use plaster of paris over the existing ramp. First, I hope you knew to create a transition into and out of this grade? You need to create a rounded area at the bottom and the top of the ramp so that your locos don’t lose traction or derail. They need to be eased onto and off of that incline.
./quote]Well, I don’t actually have the track up yet! I’ve haveing difficulty going from ground level up to the first 1" of height.
So, to smooth out what you have, and to build nice transitions, slap on some thick hydrocal, or sculptamod, or some much cheaper plaster of paris, and smooth out the top with a spatula. Be patient, go easy, and let it dry before you muck around getting it perfect. When it is hard, check it for accuracy, mark areas that are high or low with a marker, and do what needs to be done (sand or mud). Soon, you will have a nice grade on top of which you can now add subroadbed, or just foam or cork roadbed if your height is getting to be a problem.
This brings up one of my learned lessons. Check your track often for dips and rises that escape the eye at standing level. Use a 4’ level on top of the rails, lengthwise, and get down to eye-level with the rail tops. If you see light, so will the locos. While this is merely annoying on the straights, it can be a show-stopper on a curve or at a turnout.
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If you go to the page I described how to get to it will give you not only the measurments, but also what the grade works out to be. For example, this is straight off of that page;
ST1410 2% Incline Set (4" rise in 16’)
Use flexible foam Inclines to easily change track elevations on curves or straights. The SubTerrain System’s pre-cut Inclines remove the guesswork and complicated calculations. Stack the pre-cut Inclines on top of Risers for quick and easy elevation changes. Each piece is 2 1/2" wide x 24" long.
Price: $14.98
Thats just one of the sets. You’ll also need two incline starter’s for that (one to get you smoothly onto the grade & one to get you off). It’s down a little on that same page. It looks like;
ST1412 2% Incline Starter 2 1/2"x 24" (8 ea)
2% foam Starter includes 8 identical pieces that raise the elevation 1/2". Each piece is 2 1/2" wide x 24" long. Can be used alone or with sets to start your track on an incline.
Price: $5.49
Take another look and I think you’ll find what you’re after.
And remember, nobody said you have to use the WHOLE incline. You can cut it short and add your transitions anywhere you want.
ST1410
ST1412